Enrollment Policy and Practice Frequently Asked Questions

Can a school carry, or "roll," its waitlist from one year to the next?

No. In general, the "rolling" of waitlists is prohibited. The amended charter school regulations permit schools to keep waitlists for only the current school year. 603 CMR 1.05(10)(a). If a student applies and is not admitted, they must reapply the following year to be considered for admission.

Note that the regulations do allow charter schools to use waitlists that were established prior to March 31, 2014, until the current waitlist is exhausted. The school must make clear in its enrollment policy and to all students seeking admission whether the school is currently exhausting an old waitlist or if students must apply for admission again in subsequent years if they do not receive an offer of admission in the current year. These waitlists, however, can only be used until they are exhausted or expired¹. For schools that are carrying over a waitlist (established prior to March 31, 2014) from one year to the next, students who have been added to the waitlist at any point after March 31, 2014, and have not been admitted, must reapply the following year to be considered for admission. It is recommended that schools inform these families who have applied after March 31, 2014 that they must reapply the following year to be considered for subsequent admission.

Do schools have to accept new applications even if they have a waitlist?

No. While schools must accept new applications, at least annually, for any grade level that the school may wish to admit students or for all grade levels for which the school is required to backfill seats, they do not have to accept new applications for grades where a waitlist has already been established prior to March 31, 2014 or through the principal lottery process for the upcoming school year. If charter schools do accept applications for grades where a waitlist has already been established or if the school accepts applications submitted after the principal application deadline, they must exhaust the previously established waitlist prior to conducting any additional lotteries. The Department recommends that schools include their plans for accepting new applications in their enrollment policy, so that parents readily understand the articulated practice.

May a school add a student's name to the waitlist without holding a lottery?

No. The charter school statute explicitly requires a lottery if the number of applicants exceed the spaces available for admission and states that "students who entered the lottery but did not gain admission shall be maintained on a waitlist." G.L. c. 71, § 89(n). A student's name must be drawn, either manually or electronically, in a lottery to be placed on a waitlist. Charter schools must follow all requirements when holding subsequent lotteries.

Are schools required to keep separate waitlists for siblings and residents?

No. Schools are not required to keep separate waitlists for siblings and residents. The Department discourages maintaining separate waitlists for siblings, residents, and non-residents. The Department recommends keeping one waitlist that maintains the original random lottery order of the students, either drawn manually or determined electronically. Charter schools must be able to take into consideration sibling and residential preferences for admission, which may change over time.

When does a waitlisted student preference change?

It is important to note for parents and guardians that positions of names on a waitlist are not static because enrollment preferences change. There are many scenarios in which the enrollment preference of a student on the waitlist may change. Students with a new sibling preference—for example, once the sibling of a student on the waitlist begins attending the charter school—would move ahead of students who do not have a sibling preference. Additionally, if a waitlisted student has relocated to the charter school's sending districts, that student would now move ahead of students who do not have a residency preference. Any changes in sibling or residency status necessarily will cause a change in waitlist status. It is impermissible to move a child to the bottom of waitlist based on a preference change. Charter schools must describe clearly how the waitlist will be maintained to account for any preference changes during the school year.